Can New Delhi Learn From Beijing’s Fight Against Air Pollution?

A thick layer of smog covers Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, India, on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. According to one advocacy group, government data shows that the smog that enveloped New Delhi the past week was the worst in the last 17 years. The concentration of PM2.5, a tiny particulate that can clog lungs, averaged close to 700 micrograms per cubic meter - 12 times the government norm and 70 times the WHO standards.
A thick layer of smog covers Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, India, in November. According to one advocacy group, government data showed that the smog that enveloped New Delhi in November was the worst in the last 17 years. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo
A thick layer of smog covers Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, India, on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. According to one advocacy group, government data shows that the smog that enveloped New Delhi the past week was the worst in the last 17 years. The concentration of PM2.5, a tiny particulate that can clog lungs, averaged close to 700 micrograms per cubic meter - 12 times the government norm and 70 times the WHO standards.
A thick layer of smog covers Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, India, in November. According to one advocacy group, government data showed that the smog that enveloped New Delhi in November was the worst in the last 17 years. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo

Can New Delhi Learn From Beijing’s Fight Against Air Pollution?

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For years Beijing was the poster child for air pollution, with the problem hitting a peak during 2013’s “Airpocalypse.” But in recent years the baton has been passed to New Delhi, India. 

We compare New Delhi and Beijing’s pollution with Robert O’Keefe, vice president of the Health Effects Institute and chair of the Board of Directors of Clean Air Asia. He also tells us about the measures both countries are taking to improve air quality.